I was perusing a website this morning, looking at the options I have for additives that can be used for creosote buildup that will occur in all wood stove applications, over time.
Obviously we intend to have the Chimney Sweep come out (I know, I know,......many of you do your own), and do a proper cleaning.
However, I'd been exploring the idea of some sort of additive that can be used during the normal burning season, that might help "chip away" (so to speak) at any potential build up that could occur.
Anyone who has been dealing with this topic for any length of time, has learned that maintaining a proper fire is really the biggest thing that any wood burner can do, to keep a clean system; but even THEY will tell you that creosote STILL builds up, and needs to be cleaned. It's just the "nature of the beast" as it were.
So I went to a particular manufacturers website of stove products, and noted the following disclaimer on it's Data Sheet .pdf file:
"For maximum safety: Rutland recommends a professional chimney cleaning, thereafter pursuing a
vigorous preventive maintenance program using Rutland Creosote Remover. The use of Creosote
Remover does not eliminate the need for regular chimney cleaning."
This is obviously the companies "Disclaimer" but............it also tells you something about the product itself. I read an article on one of the recommended websites (recommended by someone in here), which talked about a study done of the additives available out there for chimney cleaning, and basically the article said they saw no noticeable improvement in the stoves in which they used the applications, -vs- the ones that they DIDN'T use the application in.
It was testing done by an Agency similar to Consumer Reports, in which they had a half dozen stoves lined up, burned them the same, (time, wood, intensity, etc), and used a random sample of the most common and readily available creosote sticks, powder (etc) and so forth, in 3 of them, and no additives in the other three. They saw the same creosote levels in all SIX stoves, regardless.
The testing done was somewhat old however, leaving to question if these additives would work any better in the newer EPA-Rated stove equipment. It was conducted in 1986, so there is a wide margin for variance there, (admittedly). I contacted the authors of the study and asked if there had been an updated study done, that reflected the same testing results,but with the newer stoves, and they indicated that there had been "no new Iteration (Revision) to the testing, using the newer stoves."
Based on the study read (cited) and the disclaimers I see, (obviously a CYA thing for this particular manufacturer, and most likely found on any OTHER product manufacturers website or catalog, as well), I am no further moved toward being convinced that these types of additives are really of any significant value. (My opinion only, obviously).
There may be some who believe they work, and will perhaps be able to offer evidence that is irrefutable in that regard, but I have yet to see that data, and I've been looking rather extensively at this issue. If the newer EPA-Rated stove configurations (which in and of themselves, by re-burning the gases, may in fact, decrease the creosote build up potential), were tested, I am curious to see how THEY would fare, in this particular study.
-Soupy1957
Obviously we intend to have the Chimney Sweep come out (I know, I know,......many of you do your own), and do a proper cleaning.
However, I'd been exploring the idea of some sort of additive that can be used during the normal burning season, that might help "chip away" (so to speak) at any potential build up that could occur.
Anyone who has been dealing with this topic for any length of time, has learned that maintaining a proper fire is really the biggest thing that any wood burner can do, to keep a clean system; but even THEY will tell you that creosote STILL builds up, and needs to be cleaned. It's just the "nature of the beast" as it were.
So I went to a particular manufacturers website of stove products, and noted the following disclaimer on it's Data Sheet .pdf file:
"For maximum safety: Rutland recommends a professional chimney cleaning, thereafter pursuing a
vigorous preventive maintenance program using Rutland Creosote Remover. The use of Creosote
Remover does not eliminate the need for regular chimney cleaning."
This is obviously the companies "Disclaimer" but............it also tells you something about the product itself. I read an article on one of the recommended websites (recommended by someone in here), which talked about a study done of the additives available out there for chimney cleaning, and basically the article said they saw no noticeable improvement in the stoves in which they used the applications, -vs- the ones that they DIDN'T use the application in.
It was testing done by an Agency similar to Consumer Reports, in which they had a half dozen stoves lined up, burned them the same, (time, wood, intensity, etc), and used a random sample of the most common and readily available creosote sticks, powder (etc) and so forth, in 3 of them, and no additives in the other three. They saw the same creosote levels in all SIX stoves, regardless.
The testing done was somewhat old however, leaving to question if these additives would work any better in the newer EPA-Rated stove equipment. It was conducted in 1986, so there is a wide margin for variance there, (admittedly). I contacted the authors of the study and asked if there had been an updated study done, that reflected the same testing results,but with the newer stoves, and they indicated that there had been "no new Iteration (Revision) to the testing, using the newer stoves."
Based on the study read (cited) and the disclaimers I see, (obviously a CYA thing for this particular manufacturer, and most likely found on any OTHER product manufacturers website or catalog, as well), I am no further moved toward being convinced that these types of additives are really of any significant value. (My opinion only, obviously).
There may be some who believe they work, and will perhaps be able to offer evidence that is irrefutable in that regard, but I have yet to see that data, and I've been looking rather extensively at this issue. If the newer EPA-Rated stove configurations (which in and of themselves, by re-burning the gases, may in fact, decrease the creosote build up potential), were tested, I am curious to see how THEY would fare, in this particular study.
-Soupy1957
